1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to automated call processing systems and, more particularly, to an automated call processing system for locating a called party.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, new telecommunications capabilities have become available to the public, many of which are commonly termed information services. Thus, the hardware and software which provide these services are called information services systems. Subscribers of information services made available by local or regional telephone companies and owners of some private branch exchanges gain access to e.g., voice store and forward capability (voice mail); automatic call generation for reminders or wake-up calls, etc.; automatic call distribution; automated call screening; and more. Systems such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,371,752; 4,580,012; 4,581,486; 4,585,906; and 4,602,129, all assigned to VMX, Inc. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,371,752 was originally assigned to ECS Telecommunications, Inc.) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,029,199 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/594,648 which are assigned to Boston Technology, Inc. enable public telephone companies to provide many of these services. Systems like those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,696,028; 4,809,321; 4,850,012; 4,955,047; 5,020,095; and 5,029,196, all assigned to DYTEL Corp., enable owners of private branch exchanges (PBXs) to obtain many of these features. Additional services continue to be made available and there are many types of services which have yet to be developed.
On the other hand, telecommunications equipment has been developed which aids in contacting an individual. Cellular telephones and other types of radio telephones provide telephone communications via systems installed in automotive vehicles and hand-held units. Pagers enable individuals to be notified that someone needs to talk to them by telephone. However, all of these types of equipment require that a specific piece of equipment be in close proximity to the individual, so that the individual can receive a call or a notification of a call. No device or system functionality currently exists to reach an individual using conventional telephones in a number of locations.